Member News

Swarm as asocial enterprise is focused on supporting and developing young people in employemnt to deliver the greatest possible impact.Now there’s an opportunity for even greater impact with the introduction of a Level 5 apprenticeship in ‘Innovation and Growth.’

Unlike the Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships Swarm supports, there is no upper age limit for Government funding. That reduces the likely cost to the learner or their employer, making this qualification a realistic and affordable option for many wishing to grow their entrepreneurial skills.

Chris Perry Swarms Managing Director comments- ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for people to gain a degree level qualification in the workplace that concentrates on business growth and development. It unlocks new doors for both Swarm and the business community, enabling organisations to upskill existing employees or recruit new people to high calibre management roles.’

He continues, ‘We recognise that to grow opportunities for young people you need to grow businesses. With this qualification we have a unique opportunity to support the senior leader’s business to drive innovation and growth which will have a wider impact, not just for young people but for the whole regional economy.’

Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber comments “Exciting news for Norfolk businesses and young people and another first for Swarm. Another step forward in the provision of apprenticeships”

Robert Ashton, Swarm’s founder and Chairman added: ‘this new qualification will challenge people to see, and then seize their opportunity to lead innovation and growth at work. It’s accessible, affordable and as with everything Swarm does, has enterprise at its heart.’

The first group of ten will start this May, with the qualification being delivered by Swarm in partnership with Norfolk County Council Adult Education. If you’d like to be one of the ten, or to find out more, ring Chris Perry on 01953 609752 or visit www.swarmapprentice.org.uk

This is a fantastic opportunity for a dynamic communications professional to shape the strategic direction and resources of North Norfolk District Council’s communications at a time of exciting changes.

Building relationships

As our lead advisor on every aspect of communications, you will work closely with the Leader of the Council and Chief Executive, as well as councillors and staff. You will engage with residents and businesses across the district and forge relationships with local and national media.

Supporting change

In raising the profile of the council and promoting our initiatives, you will begin with a strong focus on our significant business transformation programme. We are improving efficiency and customer service, while driving greater value across services .You will lead our growth communications programme to help us boost everything from employment and creating jobs, to our efforts to enable the provision of new homes and infrastructure.

Developing brands

North Norfolk was recently named one of the nation’s best places to raise a family and we’re committed to protecting the coastline and the character of the countryside. As well as making sure people know about our important work, you’ll develop creative strategies for the evolution of North Norfolk’s place brand.

Your credentials

You will need proven experience of leading a communications team, developing and implementing strategies. An inspirational and influential leader, you will bring exceptional relationship building skills and political acumen to the role. Your demonstrable expertise ranges from brand development to maximising the use of digital media. Crucially, you will have the sound judgment and management skills vital to balancing many competing priorities.

Please note this is a politically restricted post.

Please note that we do not accept CV’s unless accompanied by a fully completed application form.

For an informal discussion, please contact Julie Cooke, Head of Organisation Development on 01263 516040

Closing date: Wednesday 22 April 2015

Interview date: Friday 1 May 2015

National home efficiency company ENTU with their Southern Division are the latest company to support East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH). ENTU have signed up to the nook business network scheme pledging to raise at least £25,000 for the cause.

The nook business network is a corporate scheme which will help EACH to deliver a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk. The scheme encourages local companies small, medium and large to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support that the charity will provide.

ENTU, which specialises in energy efficient products including windows, boilers, solar energy and cavity wall insulation, has a long history within Norfolk, supplying energy efficient products within the area for over 40 years. The company have supported a number of different charities over the past few years and this year have selected EACH as their chosen charity.

With representatives of the company attending the launch event of the nook appeal, in the presence of EACH Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, the nook appeal fundraising team were delighted to learn ENTU’s Southern Division wanted to be part of the appeal and have committed to raising at least £25,000 throughout the duratio of the appeal.

Natalie Douglas, Group Marketing Director of ENTU’s Southern Division, said: “EACH is a great local charity offering fantastic support and care for children and their families within the community and we are delighted to be working with Gary Cook and his team throughout 2015 to help raise money for the new children’s hospice in Norfolk. We look forward to getting started with our fundraising initiatives and hope to involve the local community in our fundraising activity.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “It was great to hear from ENTU so soon after our launch event saying that they wanted to get involved in the appeal in some way. Committing to raise £25,000 is absolutely fantastic and we’re very much looking forward to working with Natalie and the team.

“We won’t be able to realise our vision of a much needed new children’s hospice for Norfolk families without the support of all elements of the Norfolk community – individuals, community groups, schools and of course the business community plays a huge part in this so we are delighted that ENTU are on board joining a number of other Norfolk companies supporting our nook appeal by signing up to the nook business network.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01953 666767 or funding@each.org.uk and for more information about ENTU please visit: www.entu.co.uk

Airvolution Energy, the developer proposing to build two turbines off Sporle Road near Swaffham, known as ‘Washpit Drove’, is calling on Norfolk-based companies to register their interest in supplying goods and services to help build the project if approval is granted.

The developer states there are many businesses which already provide a range of goods and services to construction projects like this, ranging from civil engineering to fuel providers, plant hire and plant operators to site investigation.

There are a number of additional benefits associated with this proposal, including the provision of enough clean, renewable energy to supply 3,100 homes each year and a Community Benefit Fund of £23,500 per year for local causes over its 25 year life-span.

Breckland District Council is likely to determine the planning application in summer of 2015.

Tom Walker, Development Manager at Airvolution Energy said, “It is a main focus of our company to bring investment to the areas in which we operate. As such, the business community here in Norfolk deserves to reap the benefits from our investment in this project.

“After attending the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce ‘Meet the Buyer’ event back in March, we are now calling on local businesses that may not have had the opportunity to attend that event, to contact us directly with their expression of interest to supply to our project. If we receive planning permission for our two turbines, their details will be included with documents to those invited to pitch for the overall construction contract.”

Local businesses who would be interested in registering as local suppliers are encouraged to download a supplier interest form from the project website or contact Tom Walker (Development Manager) directly by phone: 020 3030 5073 or by e-mail: tomwalker@airvolutionenergy.com.

Fendercare Marine sign contract with Defence Support Group for provision of wet blast facilities

• Wet blast provision to be provided on AM2 Helipad matting
• Demonstrates the versatility of the Blastgreen wet blast services offered by Fendercare Marine
• Contract win provides further evidence of the close working relationship between Fendercare Marine and Defence organisations

Fendercare Marine, the world leading marine products and services supplier, has announced the signing of a major new contract with Defence Support Group (DSG). The three-year frame agreement is for UK wide sub-contracted general engineering services for blast-cleaning on items such as AM2 Helipad matting.

The Defence Support Group provides assembly, maintenance, repair, overhaul, upgrade and support services for the UK Armed Forces including current and future MOD equipment acquisition and support strategies. In December 2014, Babcock International purchased the Defence Support Group in a deal worth £140million. The deal included a ten-year contract with Babcock to maintain, repair and overhaul the British Army’s vehicles and light weapons, including Challenger tanks and Warrior armoured vehicles, which carry infantry soldiers into combat.

The wet blast facilities are provided through Fendercare Marine’s subsidiary company Blastgreen who design, develop and manufacture wet blast cleaning equipment for sale, hire and service. Their wet blast machines do not use chemicals or toxic abrasives but instead use a combination of water and natural, environmentally friendly media – Olivine and Garnet. The water and media are combined and applied in minimum quantities ensuring the blast jet is easily contained, with a minimal dust cloud and very little waste.

Brett Ward, Defence Project Sales Manager commented “We are delighted to have been selected by DSG for the provision of their blast cleaning requirements. Following on from our recent contract agreement with BAE Systems for equipment to supply their OPVs, this just demonstrates the breadth of quality products and services that Fendercare Marine can deliver.”

Blastgreen’s wet blast service has proved a popular and versatile addition to the Fendercare Marine portfolio of services. Blastgreen was originally purchased by the Group for use with boat builders and marinas due to its excellent performance coupled with its environmentally friendly “green” credentials. However, the versatility of the Blastgreen service soon became apparent with contracts being secured for wet blast facilities at airports, the London underground and for white line removal on the countries roads. Fendercare Subsea Services also use wet blast facilities on many of their underwater operations – proving it effectiveness both above and below the water.

Fendercare Marine has been a supplier of services including marine hardware to the MoD since 1999 and also supports navies throughout the world, winning a $29 million contract with the US Navy in 2012. Fendercare Marine also recently received praise for their fendering support to a flotilla of NATO warships in the Port of Cardiff during the NATO summit. Earlier this year, Fendercare Marine announced a significant new contract with BAE Systems Naval Ships. The contract is for the provision of rudder blades, rudder stocks, sleeves/liners for rudder stock, anchors, chain and deck equipment for three new Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) for the UK Royal Navy.

Norwich Puppet Theatre seeks to continue to raise its game in arts management as well as arts performance! As a result the Board of Trustees and the Staff are reshaping to increase their ability to analyze and forecast financial performance I these challenging times. If you or a colleague are interested in helping us through our part-time vacancy, please have a look athttps://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/support-us/vacancies

Mattressman, Britain’s biggest mattress specialist, are the latest company to sign up for the nook business network scheme to raise funds to enable East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) to build the nook, a new purpose-built children’s hospice in the heart of Norfolk.

The nook buisness network scheme asks for companies small, medium and large throughout Norfolk to commit to raising either £10,000, £15,000 or £25,000 over the duration of the appeal in return for a number of benefits and support the charity will provide.

Staff at Mattressman collectively voted to support the charity, and the nook appeal in particular, following the nook launch event in the presence of EACH Royal Patron HRH THe Duchess of CAmbridge in November. Mattressman Managing Director Andrew Kerry has pledged the company’s support in raising £25,000.

Mattressman has 14 stores across East Anglia and London, many of which are in the areas where families receiving care and support from EACH live, making the relationship a perfect fit. The company also has a hugely successful online operation, which will be utilised in various ways to raise funds, as well as communicate to customers news on the appeal and the appeal target.

Staff at each of the stores and Head Office, based in Norwich, are well on their way in planning ways to fundraise, and loyal customers will also be invited to contribute should they wish to do so.

There’s also talk of an exciting link up with Mattressman and EACH with a unique children’s mattress, made in their Norwich factory, being made available for purchase. This initiative will in turn support the aim of building the new hospice.

Andrew Kerry, Mattressman Managing Director, said: “The nook appeal is a fantastic cause that will make a real difference to people in the local community, and I’m very proud to be giving our support to the appeal this year. The team at Mattressman and I are putting our heads together and coming up with lots of exciting ideas for fundraising, and we’re looking forward to working with EACH over the coming months to help them make the nook a reality.”

Gary Cook, the nook appeal corporate fundraiser, said: “We’re delighted Andrew and all the team at Mattressman have really got behind our appeal for the nook and signed up to our business network scheme.

“While Mattressman is Britain’s biggest mattress specialist, it’s also a company that was born in and still resides in Norfolk and its stores are in the same areas that EACH operates so it really is a case if the company and its staff really playing its part in their local community effectively helping local families within that community.

“To make our vision of a new hospice for a local life-threatened children and their families a reality we need the support of all sectors of the Norfolk community – individuals, schools, community groups as well as the business sector, so Mattressman’s support is fantastic and we very much look forward to working with them.”

Anyone who is interested in finding out more about the appeal or the nook business network, should contact the Norfolk Fundraising Team on 01603 666767 or funding@each.org.uk and for more information about Matteressman visit: www.mattressman.co.uk

On 21st April, Google launches its new mobile friendly ranking algorithm. Essentially this update will mean that mobile friendly websites will rank higher on mobile search results. Making sure your website is mobile friendly is now more important than ever. Our “Mobile Strategy for Websites” article tells you what you need to do to plan for mobile, or just call us on 01603 513080.

Bigfork – we make websites stand outwww.bigfork.co.uk t:01603 513080

College builds for the future as new construction centre plans are cemented

Easton and Otley College is looking to help the national housing crisis by trebling the amount of construction students that it teaches in Norfolk by 2018.

Work has officially started on the £3.75m construction training centre at the Easton campus which has been supported with £2.5m from the New Anglia LEP. The new centre will open in September 2015 and offer bespoke training in all elements of construction, including bricklaying, building construction operations (BCO), carpentry, joinery and electrical installation.

It comes at a time of a national housing and construction skills shortage across the UK. The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is calling for at least 200,000 homes a year to be built by 2020, with the proportion of members struggling to recruit bricklayers up from 27% to 42% in a year and the figures for carpenters and joiners nearly doubling with 23% of firms reporting recruitment issues.* In Norfolk and Suffolk the National Housing Federation says the local economy needs to build 2,200 affordable homes annually which would bring over 113m to the local economy and 2,300 jobs.**

Easton & Otley college first started teaching courses in this field at their Norfolk campus in 2012/13. Initially 34 full-time learners participated in a mixture of bricklaying, carpentry, electrical and multi-skills courses. Two years on that number has grown to over 100 learners and by 2018, the Norfolk campus hopes to support 300 learners.

Interim principal, Christina Sadler, said, “We have trebled the number of Norfolk Construction students we teach in two years and we are aiming to do the same again in the next three years thanks to this new investment. We teach around 14 apprentices in addition to our full time students and we are confident that our new building will be a flagship centre for construction skills for the East of England.”

“We work very closely with industry at the moment – particularly the CITB – and this means we can create even stronger industry links in the next few months and years. All in all, the facility is fantastic news for us and it will help to enhance our reputation on a regional and national scale.”

New Anglia LEP secured £2.5m for the new construction centre as part of its Growth Deal with Government. The award also included funding for other key skills projects up until 2021, including new college centres for West Suffolk, West Anglia and Lowestoft. Construction of the centre at Easton is the first of the Growth Deal projects to get underway.

Mark Pendlington, chairman of New Anglia LEP, said the new centre at will help tackle the serious skills gap in the construction sector and in turn help provide much-needed new homes for Norfolk and Suffolk. He said, “It is hugely rewarding to see the first of our major skills projects across Norfolk and Suffolk being built, just a few months after securing the funding. Our regional economy and the UK as a whole is suffering from a major shortage of skilled house builders, from brick layers and carpenters to painters and plasterers. This excellent new training centre will offer new and exciting career opportunities for hundreds of students and apprentices, boosting our skilled workforce while helping to build the homes we need for the future. This is education and business collaboration at its very best and we congratulate and celebrate Easton College for turning a great ambition into really positive action.”

Construction of the training centre has been awarded to Norfolk based Chalcroft. Lizzie Stratton, contracts manager, explained: “We are naturally delighted to work as principal contractor on a project aimed at equipping future construction workers with essential skills. As a local employer ourselves, we are excited about the prospect of having more well-trained individuals entering the construction workplace in East Anglia.”

*Figures from the Federation of Master Builders January 2015

https://www.fmb.org.uk/news-publications/newsroom/press-releases/2015/jan…https://www.fmb.org.uk/news-publications/newsroom/press-releases/2015/jan…

** Figures from the National Housing Federation Feb 2015

https://www.housing.org.uk/media/press-releases/tackling-east-of-england-…

Are you applying for jobs in the East of England at the moment? Don’t forget to give your CV a good polish first. In fact, one of your priorities could be adding a personal statement to the top of the document – it could give you that all-important edge over other candidates.

Your personal statement, is your opportunity to grab an employer’s attention with a round-up of your relevant key skills and experience, and your professional aims.

A personal statement is a very effective method in making your CV stand apart from the others. That’s not a bad thing when you consider that recruiters can receive hundreds of applications for each vacancy. Fitting in all of the relevant information while sticking to one paragraph (between 50 and 150 words) isn’t easy!

Here are some tried and tested tips would help you tackle this challenge.

1. Be relevant

To be really effective, your statement must be tailored to the job description. Before you start, identify the attributes that the employer is looking for. Go through your career history and pick out moments where you have demonstrated the required skills and qualities. Let’s say, for instance, the job requires excellent organisational and communication skills. As luck would have it, you have already managed a project and co-ordinated multiple tasks between colleagues. Include experience like this in your statement. If there’s not enough space to include all of the key skills, narrow your focus to your strengths or the essential requirements for the new job.

2. Your future aims

You need to sew together your past achievements with what you would like to achieve in your next role, mentioning the challenges you are hoping to experience in the new job. Envisioning the personal statement as two parts will help you structure the paragraph.

3. Make each word count

Ironically, writing a short, punchy summary can often be harder than writing longer text. The personal statement is no exception. To make it easy-to-read, while also making it informative and persuasive, you need to make every word count. This is where planning comes in. If you find yourself rambling, ask yourself “does the employer absolutely need to know this?”. If the answer is no, then perhaps do not include it.. Don’t be too wordy or too clichéd, and keep sentences short so busy recruiters can scan-read your statement to get an initial impression of your suitability.

4. Let it flow

Writing a snappy personal statement isn’t just about the structure – your use of language has an impact too. Always written in the first person (“I”, not “he” or “she”), the text needs to flow. You can achieve this by avoiding repetition, by beginning sentences differently, and by using punctuation to break up sentences. Search on Google for examples of personal statements – a good one flows effortlessly yet the writer probably put a lot of work into it. Try to analyse what the writer has done and copy their methods (but not their words!).

5. Proofreading is a must

Perhaps this goes without saying, but proofreading is so important. When you’ve completed the statement, read it through a few times, making tweaks as you go. Another trick is asking someone else to read it – a fresh pair of eyes can pick up errors that you, the writer, may miss.

Whether you’re new to the job market or a more experienced professional, a well thought-through and clearly written personal statement can help swing the recruitment process in your favour. A little extra work can go a long way, but if you’d like more advice, call 01223 209888 for a chat with one of Pure’s consultants.

The Government’s adviser on local growth Lord Heseltine visited Ipswich recently to meet the New Anglia Growth Hub team, based at Suffolk Chamber of Commerce on the waterfront.

Established last summer by New Anglia LEP, the Growth Hub is a one-stop-shop for business support and funding information. It is one of several Growth Hubs set up nationally to give business owners a clearer route to business support.

Lord Heseltine has called for more powers to be devolved from London to the regions to help local business leaders access help and support they need to grow.

During his visit, Lord Heseltine met with five local businesses who the Growth Hub has helped to grow by signposting them to specialist providers of business support. He spent time talking to each of the businesses to learn more about the ways they had been supported.

Crossing a range of sectors, the businesses were Aponic, an innovative hydroponics company from Sudbury, Howard Nurseries who are a plant wholesaler near Diss, Seers Medical, a manufacturer of therapy and medical beds in Debenham, Orbital Media, a leading social media and digital agency in Stowmarket and The Naughty Sheep who are a quality jam, marmalade and chutney artisan factory located in Ipswich.

Lord Heseltine has previously been a customer of Howard Nurseries. The Growth Hub has worked with them to secure a funded internship to boost their sales and marketing. Owner Christine Howard commented; “We would never have accessed this support without our meetings with the Growth Hub Advisers.”

John Stenhouse, Growth Hub manager said: “It was great to be able to show Lord Heseltine first-hand the businesses we have helped in our first year. We’re committed to supporting all businesses in Norfolk and Suffolk across all sectors and at any stage of development and the team of advisers will travel to any business to offer face-to-face support.”

To find out how the Growth Hub can support your business, call 0300 333 6536 or email growthhub@newanglia.co.uk

These days, it’s one heck of a struggle to keep pace with technological progress when you’re in business. Sometimes you feel as though you’re rattling around on a giant hamster wheel as you struggle and strive to stay up to date with computer hardware and software developments, as well as the telecoms gadgets your people need to keep in touch with their colleagues and with your customers.

You invest accordingly in the very latest stuff. And then, just when you think you’re ahead of the game, another gizmo comes along and you’re left lagging behind again. The company purse-strings are loosened and you splash out on yet more technology. It’s a never-ending story…

Every time you do this, of course, you’re confronted with an office or factory floor festooned with outdated equipment that needs to be disposed of legally, safely and ethically. These days, every decent-minded business has its eye on sustainability and the environment in its businesses practices, for the greater good of our planet. Yes, you want rid of those obsolete PCs, phones, photocopiers, even light fittings but you don’t want to see valuable commodities going needlessly to waste.

So, what’s to be done? The good news is that the Norwich area has a vibrant recycling services sector. It seeks to save businesses money by taking away their old equipment – pretty much anything with a plug attached or battery inside fits the bill – and then sorting it, reusing it or recycling the components. In many cases collection and disposal is offered free of charge.

I’ve become involved with recycling in the past two or three years, largely through my 35-year background in electronics, avionics, computers and microprocessor services in the city, and I’ve been impressed by what can be achieved to help businesses maintain their green credentials.

To my mind, repair is the ultimate form of recycling – someone somewhere might be searching for the very machine that you’ve deemed surplus to requirements – but even if that’s not the case a substantial array of the component parts can be put to good use again.

Take a PC, for instance: this can be dismantled and sorted into metals, plastics and circuit boards. By the time the recyclable parts have been identified, hardly anything – normally less than one per cent, in fact – should be left for landfill. That’s good news for the environment, don’t you think?

Reputable businesses in this sector will be licensed by the Environment Agency and registered under The Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2011. They will equip you with all the correct legal paperwork and protect your businesses precious privacy and security, too, ensuring safe data destruction; again, this service may be provided free.

Problem solved.

Pete Lloyd

forage4it.co.uk, IT disposal & destruction services provider

www.forage4it.co.uk – info@forage4it.co.uk

t: 01603 290069 m: 07810 105908